It may be too late to place an order now but it ain’t too late to feast your eyes on these delightful eye-candies. Décorateur Man Kwan, cake designer (who is also a mother of four) has whipped up some pretty charming Chinese New Year good fortune cookies that are too pretty to eat!

You may check out more of her beautiful creations at her blog!

Did you ever think a bottle of milk can be so adorably decorated? What about putting together a cute, practical table centrepiece using eggnog and cake cups? Check out these simple creations that add a perfect finishing to your home parties.

Our top web picks for this holiday season:

Clockwise from left to right: Look at Frosty Go milk treats and Creamy Eggnog from Better Homes & Gardens. Edible gifts with Christmas tag templates and Icebox Cookie Recipe from Martha Stewart.

Here’s my favourite little herb to work with – The sweet Thai Basil (bai horapa).

It’s large crisp leaves and fragrant oils often remind us of Thai flavours. They grow on purplish stems, topped with pretty, reddish purple flower buds. Both leaves and edible flowers are sweetly perfumed with a mix of distinct basil scent and that of anise or licorice. Therefore, it is sometimes referred to as ‘anise basil’ or ‘licorice basil’.

Plentiful in Thailand, bai horapa is eaten almost as a vegetable. It is used in large quantities, in whole leaves and sprigs, in many types of dishes, including curries, stir-fried dishes, salads and soups. We often find sweet basil leaves snuck into stir-fry’s or floating in pools of steaming hot Vietnamese ‘pho’.

Contrary to what most believe, Thai basil really is an extremely versatile herb.

Just to help prove my point…

Here’s a range of delicious basil inspired side dishes I’ve whipped up quickly to match my afternoon roast. All you really need is a little fresh basil tree and a few pantry basics.

Quick & Easy Recipes:

Buttery Basil Mashed Potato

Basil Salsa with Pretty Baby Plum Tomatoes

Bai horapa is available year- round from specialty produce markets and local grocery stores. It is also easy to grow, and seed packets can be purchased from local nurseries. You can root a fresh stem easily by placing it in a glass of water outside the refrigerator. As with many leafy herbs, this basil can be kept fresh by placing it in a glass with the cut ends in water, covering it with a plastic bag and storing it in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can wrap the herbs in paper towels before bagging them in plastic for refrigerating. They will stay fresh for about a week.

Don’t forget the garnish!

Fact Reference: Copyright © 1995 Kasma Loha-unchit : It Rains Fishes.

There is nothing like fresh, tart plum tomatoes just as they are. Here’s a quick and healthy fix packed with juicy flavours of fresh herbs.

Dressing:

1 tbsp olive,

1 tsp sea salt flakes

5 sprigs of chopped basil

1 tsp lemon juice

Half 500gms of baby plum tomatoes and toss in dressing. Serve chilled.

Alternatively, for those who do not like the raw taste of tomatoes, try this other quick step that will only take you less than 5 minutes to prepare!

Sautéed mushrooms tossed in a crisp juicy salad

Sautee 5 large sliced mushrooms in a dash of sea salt, 1 tbsp Worchestire sauce and 2 tbsps of olive oil. Toss warm mushrooms in garden veges. YUM!

Melt ½ cup of good butter and stir in 4 sprigs of chopped fresh basil.

Mash 3 cooked medium sized potatoes.

Add in the basil infused butter and a good sprinkle of coarse sea salt.

Stir till well incorporated and smooth. Add a little milk if more liquid is required.

Tips:

• Press the potatoes through a sieve to get a smooth mash.
• Spoon mash into tiny ramekins and top with grated mozzarella. Melt and brown under the grill for a couple of minutes right before serving.

Has Christmas preparations gotten you stuck in tangles? Well, I’d like to help you rid worries of after-dinner desserts!

There is no time for that extravagant fruitcake or the well-woven cherry pie you’ve been itching to practice on! You have guests to attend to, a turkey to stuff and baste and a handful of kids screaming through your hallway. The last thing you need is hours stuck in the kitchen getting your hands dirty with flour and sticky pastry.

Look out for shortcuts at the supermarket! They are excellent for those who want to be creative and still have something made personally from your very own kitchen.

Stack I say.

This Christmas, take a tip from Su and play the quick and easy ‘stack’.

There are several essential ‘must-haves and must-knows’ before you begin.

• Always use a large, deep, clear glass bowl/jar/container
• Stacking in a plastic container never turns out looking as delicious
• Choose to share or have it in individual servings (stacking items must be sized appropriately)
• Mix textures! (crunchy or smooth? Try crushing cookies, perhaps using mousse/custards?)
• Only stack matching flavours! No bananas topped with orange mousse please….Haha, try bananas and chocolate fudge, orange and dark chocolate mousse.
• Stick to 2-3 different layers; anything more can be a little too complex to be enjoyed.

I’ve came up with a trifle stack filled with yuletide inspirations.

Here are some other deliciously easy to prepare stack ideas to get you started:

Oreo Cookies + Chocolate Ice-ream + Crushed Cadbury Flake Bar

Chocolate Mud Cake + Kirsch Syrup + Bottled Cherries + Whipped Cream + Dusting of Cocoa Powder

Italian Sponge Fingers + Soaked in Malibu + Canned pineapple+ Fresh mango slices + Vanilla Custard

How about an egg nogg trifle?! Hmm… I can picture it now.

All these ingredients can be found down your local supermarket aisle. So there is no excuse for a dessert-less Christmas party!

I went to a restaurant that had a sign out front that said ‘breakfast at any time’. So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance.      – Stephen Wright -

Haven’t you ever wondered…

How the French Toast got its name?

Did it originate from France?

Do the French eat French Toast?

The French are known for their devoutness to culinary perfection. Food is often prepared with ornate diligence and savoured leisurely in a bevy stream of heavy courses from appetisers to desserts. In fact, it was the French who codified and gave definition to the term haute cuisine. So simple is the preparation of French Toast that it begets the notion that it is indeed, French.

According to Food Timeline, the recipe for French Toast goes as far back to the ancient Roman times.  It was first named ”Pain a la Romaine” (Roman bread) and it was a meal of the upper classes. Recipes printed in medieval texts employed the very finest white bread available at that time with expensive spices and almond milk listed as the ingredients.

In contrary, popular beliefs behind the French Toast is that it was created by medieval European cooks who used the crusts of the bread to feed their families so that it didn’t go to waste. Old, stale bread was revived by dipping them in milk and eggs, prepped on a hot griddle laced with oil. Fast forward centuries later to modern times, the French Toast is now commonly known as “pain perdu” (lost bread) in France.

However, there is also a web claim that the French Toast is an American invention, the humble creation of a man named Joseph French who was the owner of a little roadside stall in the city of Albany in 1724.

Some say the French Toast was originally called the German Toast. It was changed to French Toast due to the negative sentiments towards the German during World War 1.

To-date, there are many variations of French Toast.

The Italians use fresh mozzarella cheese as the main ingredient, sandwiched between two slices of bread dipped in beaten egg. Hence, the name Mozzarella in Carozza (mozzarella in carriage).

The Portuegese version is called fatias douradas, made from slices of stale bread soaked in milk, coated with beaten eggs, deep fried in olive oil, and dipped in sugar and cinnamon, or coated with cinnamon-flavoured syrup.

The German version is sometimes made with wine instead of milk, hence it’s name Betrunkene Jungfrau (drunken virgin).

In Australia, it is served with banana, bacon and drizzled with maple syrup.

In India, the egg mixture consists of milk, salt, chopped chillies and onions. Commonly known as the Masala Toast.

In Malaysia and Singapore, we have pretty much adopted the Hong Kong version of French Toast, with three slices of white bread sandwiched with peanut butter, dipped in egg, deep fried till golden brown and topped with a thick slab of butter and maple syrup.

Photo from All Recipes

The French Toast is a versatile dish that can be prepared in minutes using leftover ingredients that are sitting in your fridge. Its simplicity allows for inexpensive experimental kitchen adventure for a hearty breakfast, mid afternoon snack or light dinner.  We love the Creme Brulee version from All Recipes.

References: Lyberty ; Wikipedia